Visit Maldives hosts important events on the sidelines of the ATM

Visit Maldives has hosted multiple events on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on 17^th May 2021. The two events “The Maldives Media Meet” and “Connect with Maldives, your safe haven” were hosted for the middle eastern media and the travel trade correspondingly.

“Maldives Media Meet” press event was attended by dignified key travel media of the UAE and Middle Eastern region. Speakers at the affair were Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of Visit Maldives, H.E Ms. Aminath Shabeena, Ambassador of the Republic of the Maldives UAE and Ms. Fathimath Afra, Deputy Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Maldives.

Throughout the Maldives Media Meet, important updates from the Maldives were shared and discussed. Mr. Thoyyib touched upon the topics of how Maldives is tackling the pandemic and strategic opening of borders for the restoration of tourism, updates of the health and safety measures, “I’m Vaccinated” designed to vaccinate all tourism employees, including future plans – such as the celebration of 50 years of tourism in the Maldives.

H.E Aminath Shabeena delegated upon the angle of foreign policy and gave updates on the ongoing discussion between the two governments on establishing a travel corridor which is anticipated to happen in the near future.

Ms. Fathimath Afra highlighted the marketing challenges and the importance of recovery strategies and upcoming plans for the Middle Eastern and GCC Markets. Additionally, plans for imperative activities in the pipeline such as the World Expo 2021 set to be held at Dubai in October and the Explore Maldives Live anticipated to bring experiences from The Maldives via livestream to the Middle Eastern Market on the My Virtual Platform. The event ended with a Q&A session in which there was a lot of enthusiasm shown by the journalists towards The Maldives.

Moving forward to the next occasion – a roadshow titled “Connect with Maldives, Your Safe Haven”. The one-day roadshow targeted Dubai based Travel Agents and Tour Operators, opening up the opportunity for Maldivian tourism partners to connect with over 50 key travel trade partners from the Middle Eastern Market. Ten Maldives Tourism Industry Partners representing resorts and DMCs participated at the event. The participants showcased their properties, products and spoke about the unique experiences available at each of the respective properties. Participants were given the chance to generate new business deals and engage in one-on-one networking as well.

Visit Maldives relayed information about the destination and the four products: resorts, guesthouses, live boards and hotels. Moreover, during the speed networking session important information such as policies regarding travel to the Maldives and why it remains as a safe destination was shared. Visit Maldives highlighted that the geographic formation of isolated islands with creating a safe space that strengthens health and helps to keep safety measures in place.

During the evening, popular Middle Eastern travel blogger and influencer, Ms. Sana Chikhalia shared her experiences of vacationing in the Maldives. Following Ms. Sana’s ventures – attendees had the chance to take part in a raffle and win a free holiday at Sun Siyam Olhuveli Resort.

Next up on the agenda was the highly anticipated launch of the ‘Tales of Maldives’ campaign – the honors were given to the Managing Director of Visit Maldives Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed. The Tales of Maldives is a sublet of the Story of Maldives Campaign which is an integrated marketing operation to help kick start a journey towards achieving a powerful brand resonance and identity. The aim of the campaign is to present creative, engaging and memorable content that will leave a long lasting footprint of the Maldives on the traveler’s mind, ultimately helping to create a deep rooted emotional connection and love for the Maldives, it’s culture, folklore, natural assets and experiences.

These events mark the first ever in person affairs held in the market since the onset of the pandemic. During each of the events, Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed thanked the media and travel trade respectively for the support shown to the Maldives during the most challenging times.

In line with the objective to maintain brand visibility and engagement in travel trade, these events are held in a means to bring positive impact to the UAE market and other markers in the GCC region as travel restrictions ease. These measures are conducted by Visit Maldives as part of their recovery action plan for the Middle Eastern Market.